Alaska Could See ‘California Style’ Blackouts in Face of Climate Change The article centers on Alaska’s record-breaking 2019 wildfire season and the McKinley Fire, believed to have been started by a fallen treen, which destroyed 52 homes, three businesses and 84 other structures. A group of insurers sued Matanuska Electric Association for more than $2.7 million to try and recoup claims costs, even though investigators concluded the tree didn’t come from the utility. Now the state’s electric utilities are asking the state Legislature to help, saying if they can be held liable for wildfires started by trees outside their property, the cost could bankrupt them. They have may have learned a lesson from PG&E, which may be turning off power for Californians more often as it is again facing potential liability for that September California fire came a few months after it emerged from a 17-month stint in bankruptcy that was triggered by its responsibility for a series of wildfires in 2017 and 2018.